The world of sport in Canada has lost a great friend. Richard (Dick) Bradbeer died on Thursday, February 10, 2021 after a long illness. He was 87.
Dick was one of the most admired, respected and well-liked gentleman the world of Canadian sports media/public relations/marketing/promotions has ever known. And regardless of the enormous responsibilities he’s had throughout his career, Dick Bradbeer made the time to volunteer his services to many committees and events.
Born in Niagara Falls, Ontario on July 20, 1933, Bradbeer joined Carling Breweries in 1952, as a junior accounting clerk in Waterloo. Three years later, he moved to that company’s head office in Toronto as statistician. In 1962, Labatt Ontario Breweries made one of their best-ever hires by luring Bradbeer as marketing statistician.
Provincially, nationally and internationally, Bradbeer served Labatt in a wide array of roles, including Director in the Marketing, National Promotions, Media Relations and Public Relations portfolios. In 1987-88, he even moved to London, England to help in the launch of Labatt beer in the United Kingdom.
Bradbeer took early retirement from Labatt in 1988 and operated Dick Bradbeer & Associates from 1988 through 2009. Throughout his career, Bradbeer became a friend, confidante and supporter of Canadian sports journalists at numerous Grey Cup Championships, CPGA tournaments, Canadian curling championships and Toronto Blue Jays endeavours – among them as the Labatt representative at Spring Training in Dunedin, Florida and traveling with the Blue Jays in their cross-Canada promotional caravan for 12 years.
